Official New Years Test - SCG

[MightyEagles]

Starts Tomorrow at the same time that the Melbourne Test did, could be Langer's last.

[Adelaide Hawk]

From the way he batted in the 4th Test, it SHOULD be Langer's last. Let's hope he goes out with a score, and the Aussies can bring home that 5-0 victory we would all love so much.

[MightyEagles]

Looks like rain could delay the start of the 5th test.

[mal]

Looks like rain could delay the start of the 5th test.

EG won toss 0/14
They will make about 250 for the day zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Im bored already, Im off to Gawler dogs with BAYMAN

I just hope with Hoggard out that MAHMOOD gets the new ball
and FLINTOFF bowls 1st change.

[Thiele]

Wicket to Lee England 1/45 Strauss out for 29 c

[Punk Rooster]

:) Wicket to Lee England 1/45 Strauss out for 29 c

after providing a chance & several half-chances...

[Adelaide Hawk]

Cook, inside edge off Clark and a very good catch by Gilchrist. 2/58

Pietersen, as usual, off the mark 1st ball. He hates being on 0, doesn't he?

[Punk Rooster]

2 more to go, then we're into the English tail.... (currently 2/136)

[Thiele]

At tea England 2/149

[Adelaide Hawk]

4/234 at stumps, players went off the ground because of bad light. Perhaps they should serve full strength beer tomorrow instead.

Okay, okay, I'm an Australian, and I would have liked to have seen some more wickets, but that was the most boring day of cricket I can recall for a long while.

And, does anyone agree with me that Pietersen is a goose? He has talent, there's no doubt about that, but he bats like an idiot. What's all this charging the bowler crap? Just about every time he did that he mis-timed the ball. He may argue that it upsets the bowlers' length, but it also stuffed up his timing. And with the shot he got out on ... play the shot with your eyes open in future.

As I said, he had some naural talent and flair, but I think he's over-rated because he really doesn't seem to know what he's doing.

[RoosterMarty]

Yeah KP in full flight is a good player but some of the shots he plays?? Walking down the pitch and mistiming the shot, strange footwork against Warnie where we got himself into a tangle at times... its backyard stuff. We did bowl pretty accurately today but England refuse to take it up to us, they simply plod along at a very slow runrate. The only way you will beat Australia is by attacking them, thats what they did in England last time. I dont like Bell at number 3 either, he scores so slowly.. and when you take so long to get to 71 or so you MUST go on and score a big hundred.
Very very boring day, hopefully tomorrow is better.

[rod_rooster]

Looks like rain could delay the start of the 5th test.

EG won toss 0/14
They will make about 250 for the day zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Im bored already, Im off to Gawler dogs with BAYMAN

I just hope with Hoggard out that MAHMOOD gets the new ball
and FLINTOFF bowls 1st change.

Good prediction mal. By the way for Australia's sake i hope Mahmood gets the new ball too. No threat for Langer or Hayden if that's the case

[mal]

Looks like rain could delay the start of the 5th test.

EG won toss 0/14
They will make about 250 for the day zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Im bored already, Im off to Gawler dogs with BAYMAN

I just hope with Hoggard out that MAHMOOD gets the new ball
and FLINTOFF bowls 1st change.

Good prediction mal. By the way for Australia's sake i hope Mahmood gets the new ball too. No threat for Langer or Hayden if that's the case

4/234 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, lucky KP and Freddy batted !

AH gotta disagree with your posts on PLONKERSON.
Anyone in his first 2 years averaging 50+ is going well.
He has a very good record v Australia.
Hes had about 40-45 digs and about 18 digs vrs Australia.
HE IS THE ONLY BATSMAN THE AUSTRALIANS FEAR because he is unorthodox.
He has made 2 scores of 158 v Australia in his last 10 digs.
He has faced close to 50% of his innings against The Australians
Irresponsible shots, YES, but its how many he makes that counts.
He is not the typical EASYBEAT batsman who grinds on and on and on.

When he plays against weaker nations he will blossom even more.

Whenever he bats I enjoy watching him, he is thier star batsman.
Put it this way when EnG is on foxtel I will watch him bat, the other top5
batsman will make me ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.

[Rik E Boy]

What a pack of moaners. Yesterday was good test cricket. The first session was fascinating stuff as the ball was talking and the statuesque Strauss struggled for his entire innings before the inevitable catch behind the wicket. Tell me that you are not enjoying the way that Stuart Clark currently owns Allistair Cook. Cook will go on and have a fine career for England but right now 'Clarko' has his number.

The only aspect of the game where I agree with you regarding the zzz factor is when it comes to Ian Bell. Bell is a severely limited batsman who doesn't get the full stride in and often lets his scoring rate dry up as he gets into a siege mentality (I used to bat that way myself and for the same reason, not a big enough range of strokes). Bell is a boring batsmen but KP came out to bat with him and that partnership was kept alive by the efforts of KP who was almost successful in knocking the metronomic McGrath off his line...another fantastic battle again.

The third session was brilliant. KP paid the price for his lack of respect for McGrath and have another look at the delivery that McGrath got Bellcott with. It swang away from the batsman and then ducked in to bowl him through the gate!! How TF did he do that? Then Flintoff came out and started smacking boundaries all over the place including a lovely six.

Yes, they only got 234, but that was off 80 overs and a run rate of 2.94. England buckled down and batted well yesterday and Bellcott can't help but be boring. He is a shocking batsmen but unfortunately he is making runs. After this test there will be no McGrath, Langer and Warne..and you blokes are spewing about a run rate of just under 3 in a test match?

Don't worry boys the one dayers start soon.

regards,

REB

[Adelaide Hawk]

7/259. McGrath got Collingwood amd Lee cleaned up Read and Mahmood (1st ball). Unfortnately, his 2nd wicket was the last ball of the over, so he had to bowl to Flintoff for the possible hat trick.

[MightyEagles]

England made 291. With Warne taking 1 for the 1000th wicket at international level.
Australia is at 4/155 when rain stopped play.

[Thiele]

At stumps we are 4/188 with Hussey and Symonds not out

[RoosterMarty]

Interesting batting by Symonds. He looked good when he first came in and looked set to knuckle down and survive until stumps, not an easy task with the rain that fell, then smashed a 4 in the final over before slicing a lot which luckily fell safe! Typical Roy i guess. Hopefully he goes on with it and racks up another big score tomorrow to cement his place in this side.

[Adelaide Hawk]

Has anyone noticed how Roy seems to step up to a situation? When the team's going well, that's when he misses out, but the moment the team needs some runs, he delivers. Sign of a quality player IMHO. I remember that first century in the World Cup, and again his 1st Test century at the MCG. Australia were gone until Roy turned it around. And to think some people didn't want him in the team

[sydney-dog]

You would think another big innings will cement Roy spot at #6 for the next test series, but given the Aussies do not play another test for 11 months, there is plenty of time for the selectors to review the sides needs

personally I hope he makes a big score tomorrow and goes on with it from here, he is a huge talent and a match winner